Red Sox Lose 8-3 To Orioles

The Boston Red Sox starters are continuing to struggle.

Rick Porcello became the latest to get hit hard, allowing eight runs and 12 hits in five innings and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 8-3 on Sunday.

Boston's starters have a 6.24 ERA through its first 12 games.

"Didn't execute pitches," he said. "Made a lot of mistakes and they hit pretty much every one of them."

Boston sends Justin Masterson (1-0, 7.59 ERA) in Monday's Patriots' Day series finale. He allowed seven runs in 4 2-3 innings in his previous start.

Porcello (1-2) also gave up two homers, and didn't help himself when he was late covering first.

"I thought early on, a 1-0 sinker or 0-1 sinker that didn't have the finish to Jones for the two-run dinger," Boston manager John Farrell said. "There ended up being some pitches up in the strike zone, He had to fight back in the count most of the times."

Adam Jones went 4 for 5 with a three-run double and two-run homer to match his career high with five RBIs, carrying the Orioles.

Ryan Flaherty added a solo homer and Jimmy Paredes three singles for the Orioles, who won for the second straight day after losing the series opener.

Hanley Ramirez hit a three-run homer and two hits for Boston, which needs to win Monday to avoid losing its first series.

Jones raised his average to .457 with five homers and 16 RBIs, and also equaled his career best with the four hits.

"Right now they've probably got the hottest hitter in all of baseball going for them, in Jones, and we've got to slow them down," Farrell said.

Miguel Gonzalez (2-1) pitched five innings for the victory, allowing three runs and five hits.

"I think what got me to that (point of the game) was our offense," Gonzalez said. "We know that Jonesie is hitting the ball really well. Paredes came up and he's hitting the ball well."

Boston DH David Ortiz was ejected by home plate umpire John Tumpane, who replaced original plate ump Paul Emmel. He was upset by third base ump Jerry Meals calling a swing on an attempted check of a 1-1 pitch.

The Orioles broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth. Travis Snider had an RBI single and Manny Machado a sacrifice fly.

Jones' three-run double off the left-center field wall chased Porcello and made it 8-3 in the sixth.

Trailing 2-0, Boston jumped ahead on Ramirez's homer that caromed off a billboard above the Green Monster seats and onto the field. Flaherty's home run tied it at 3-3.

Jones' homer went completely out of Fenway Park, clearing the Monster seats, in the first.